General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
SL-DRF-24-0426
Direction
DRF
Thesis topic details
Category
Condensed Matter Physics, chemistry, nanosciences
Thesis topics
Nanodiamond-based porous electrodes: towards photoelectrocatalytic production of solar fuels
Contract
Thèse
Job description
Among nanoscale semiconductors, nanodiamonds (ND) have not been really considered yet for photoelectrocatalytic reactions in the energy-related field. This originates from the confusion with ideal monocrystalline diamond featuring a wide bandgap (5.5 eV) that requires a deep UV illumination to initiate photoreactivity. At the nanoscale, ND enclose native defects (sp2 carbon, chemical impurities such as nitrogen) that can create energetic states in the diamond’s bandgap decreasing the light energy needed to initiate the charge separation. In addition, the diamond electronic structure can be strongly modified (over several eV) playing on its surface terminations (oxidized, hydrogenated, aminated) which can open the door to optimized band alignments with the species to be reduced or oxidized. Combining these assets, ND becomes competitive with other semiconductors toward photoreactions. The aim of this PhD is to investigate the ability of nanodiamonds in reducing CO2 through photoelectrocatalysis. To achieve this goal, electrodes will be made from nanodiamonds with different surface chemistries (oxidized, hydrogenated and aminated), either using a conventional ink-type approach or a more innovative one that results in a porous material including nanodiamonds and a PVD-deposited matrix. Then, the (photo)electrocatalytic performances under visible illumination of these nanodiamond-based electrodes toward CO2 reduction will be investigated in terms of production rate and selectivity, in presence or not of a transition metal macrocyclic molecular co-catalyst.
University / doctoral school
Sciences Chimiques: Molécules, Matériaux, Instrumentation et Biosystèmes (2MIB)
Paris-Saclay
Thesis topic location
Site
Saclay
Requester
Position start date
01/10/2024
Person to be contacted by the applicant
ARNAULT Jean-Charles jean-charles.arnault@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/IRAMIS/NIMBE/LEDNA
Laboratoire des Edifices Nanométriques
CEA NIMBE, CEA/Saclay, PC 6
Bâtiment 522
91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex
01 68 08 71 02
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
GIRARD Hugues hugues.girard@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/IRAMIS/NIMBE/LEDNA
Centre de Saclay
Bat 522 PC 6
91191 Gif sur Yvette
0169084760
En savoir plus
https://iramis.cea.fr/nimbe/Phocea/Membres/Annuaire/index.php?uid=jarnault
https://iramis.cea.fr/nimbe/ledna/